Written manuscripts, whether essays, books, or dissertations, are a result of a multifaceted effort which begins with interest, is fueled by research, and terminates with the written word. Yet, this written product is not the final product that one will see when the said written document is either published or turned in to the appropriate overseers of the project. The bridge that connects this gap between the written draft of a document and the finalized product is the process of editing and proofreading. So, what is editing and proofreading?
To fully arrive at the answer, the questions that many will first need to ask are: “What is the basic definition of editing?”, “What is the basic definition of proofreading?”, and “What is the relationship between the two?” These questions will be answered below and, as a result, one will be able to understand how key these critical processes are in all writing projects, regardless of size or scope.